


Hot Chocolate

by Warp5Complex_Archivist



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-03-01
Updated: 2006-03-01
Packaged: 2018-08-15 23:54:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8078797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Warp5Complex_Archivist/pseuds/Warp5Complex_Archivist
Summary: Trip tries to sweeten up his relationship with Malcolm. Things don't go as planned.  (09/21/2005)





	

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Kylie Lee, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Warp 5 Complex](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Warp_5_Complex), the software of which ceased to be maintained and created a security hazard. To make future maintenance and archive growth easier, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2016. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but I may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Warp 5 Complex collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/Warp5Complex).

  
Author's notes: This is a goofy little fic that I wrote for GroovyGoddess as a birthday present. She once told me that I should write a story in which someone spills melted chocolate on Malcolm. This is what I managed to put together. I'm not quite sure it's what she had in mind though! This was written for her, but she generously agreed to share her present with the list as well.  
  
Beta reader(s): Thanks to MeanOldCow for betaing this on short notice. Any mistakes that remain are mine and mine alone.  


* * *

Trip glanced at the chronometer and fidgeted nervously. This was taking a lot longer than he thought it would. If Chef caught him messing around in the galley, his nuts would end up on a platter for sure. The thought made him want to cross his legs. 

Still, if this all worked out the way he was expecting it to, it would be worth the risk. Trip smiled and gave the melted chocolate in the double boiler another stir. The consistency was much better now. In fact, the smooth creamy texture was almost perfect--not too thick, not too runny. Trip felt his cock twitch in anticipation. Oh, yeah. This was definitely going to be worth the risk. But he wasn't home free yet. 

He turned off the gas burner and poured the molten chocolate into the waiting thermos, using a rubber spatula to reclaim as much of the precious stuff as he could. After all, it had cost him a month's worth of extra duty shifts. 

Who knew that real chocolate would be in such high demand on a starship, or that Lieutenant Hess would be such a ruthless negotiator? She had always seemed like such a nice woman. Before now, he never would have guessed that the rumors about her were true. 

Trip resisted the urge to lick the spatula and instead dumped it into the sink. Moving swiftly, he scrubbed the pots and utensils he had used by hand. He could have put them in the huge dishwasher, but he was sure that Chef would immediately notice the out of place items. It was best to leave no evidence of his intrusion behind. Trip dried the dishes and carefully placed them back in the appropriate drawers and cabinets. 

He made a final survey of the galley. Everything was back in place. The only indication that anyone had been in there was the faint sweet scent of chocolate that hung in the air and that would disperse quickly enough. Trip grinned in triumph as he tucked the thermos under his arm and left the galley. Malcolm wasn't the only one who was good at covert ops. 

Trip looked around his quarters with deep sense of satisfaction. Malcolm was going to be so surprised. The small room was spotless. Well, maybe not exactly spotless, but at least all the clutter was crammed into the closet instead of being strewn around the room as usual. 

Trip fiddled a little with the single red rose that lay on the desk between the covered dinner plates and the bottle of chilled white wine. The desk itself was draped with the fine linen tablecloth that he had swiped from the captain's mess. Well, he hadn't stolen it, exactly. He had just kind of borrowed it without permission. After all, he was planning on returning it. 

Trip gave the rose one last tweak. There. Almost perfect. It would have been absolutely perfect if T'Pol had been willing to give him one of her candles, but she had stubbornly resisted his pleas, saying that she had a limited supply and required them for her meditation sessions. Trip strongly suspected that she just enjoyed saying no to him. He would have to make do with simply dimming the lights. 

The bed was made up with the beautiful gray Alnarian spider silk sheets that he had picked up on his last shore leave. He had been saving them for a special occasion and this seemed like the perfect time to break them in. They gave off a faint bioluminescent glow in the dim light of his quarters. Trip shivered in anticipation. He couldn't wait to see Malcolm's naked body highlighted by that pale silvery light. 

The thermos full of melted chocolate sat on the nightstand, just waiting to be used. Oh, yeah, Trip thought happily, this was going to be a night to remember. 

Trip glanced at the chronometer. Time was running out. Malcolm would be here any minute now, and he still needed to change his clothes. 

He quickly stripped out of his uniform and put on a pair of dark slacks and the blue shirt that Malcolm had complimented him on last month. Trip thought the shirt was sort of boring. He preferred the lime green and orange one, but Malcolm had said that the blue really brought out his eyes. 

Trip was in the process of shoving his boots under the bunk when the door chime rang. Malcolm was right on time--as usual. Trip straightened up and smoothed his hands over his hair. 

"Come in." He called. The door slid open and Malcolm stepped in. He was dressed casually in jeans and a black t-shirt. He stopped just inside the door and stared around the room in surprise. 

"Hey, Darlin'." Trip said. He picked up the rose and held it out to Malcolm. Malcolm took it hesitantly and looked at him with a trace of panic in his eyes. 

"I...I haven't forgotten anything important have I?" He asked. Trip smiled. 

"Nope." 

"Oh. Ah...what's all of this, then?" Malcolm asked, waving the rose at the room. 

"I just thought that we deserved something special." Trip said. "After all, we've both been working pretty hard these last few weeks." 

"Well, this certainly looks special." Malcolm smiled and gave the rose a cautious sniff. He seemed much more relaxed now that he knew he hadn't committed some kind of relationship blunder. He stepped forward and gave Trip a lingering kiss. "You must have gone to a great deal of trouble to put this together." 

"A little." Trip said modestly. Malcolm ran his hand down Trip's chest. 

"I like this shirt." He said. "It looks good on you. Much nicer than that orange and green monstrosity you wore to movie night last week." 

"Uh, thanks." Trip resisted the urge to defend his favorite shirt. After all he didn't want to spend the evening debating fashion. 

"I think this shirt would look even better if I took it off of you." Malcolm said. He gave Trip a quick smoldering glance and then started to undo one of the buttons. 

It looked like Malcolm wasn't in much of a mood to debate fashion either. Trip was gratified by his lover's response and deeply tempted by the idea of skipping right to dessert, but he had his heart set on a slow leisurely night of pleasure. 

"There's no rush, Darlin'." He said as he captured Malcolm's hand and lifted it to his lips for a quick kiss. "After all, we've got all night." He pulled one of the chairs out from the desk. "Come sit down and have a glass of wine." 

Malcolm smiled and allowed Trip to seat him at the desk. Trip pulled the wine bottle out of the ice bucket and poured the liquid into the waiting glasses. 

"Um, Trip?" Malcolm said. "May I ask you a question?" 

"Sure." 

"Why is your bunk glowing?"

____________________________________

"That was an absolutely wonderful meal." Malcolm said. "Thank you."

"It's not over yet." Trip replied. "There's still dessert." 

"Oh?" 

"Yeah." 

"And what's for dessert?" 

"Come here an' I'll show you." Trip stood and held out his hand. Malcolm took it and allowed Trip to pull him into a loose embrace. 

"Am I allowed to take this off of you now?" Malcolm asked, toying with one of the buttons on Trip's shirt. 

"Only if you think it'll look better." Trip said playfully. 

"Well, we'll never know if we don't try." Malcolm said with mock seriousness. He slowly began to unbutton the shirt, teasing it open a little at a time, stroking his fingers lightly over each patch of newly uncovered skin. 

Several minutes later he finally pushed it off of Trip's shoulders, letting it fall unceremoniously to the floor. Malcolm gave the crumpled blue fabric a contemplative look. 

"Yes. It does look better down there." He said with a wicked grin. "I'd wager that these would look better on the floor too." Malcolm reached for the fly of Trip's slacks. 

"Now wait just a minute." Trip admonished. "It's my turn." 

"We're taking turns?" Malcolm asked in surprise. 

"It's only polite, don't you think?" 

"I suppose." Malcolm said reluctantly. 

Trip tugged at the fabric of Malcolm's black shirt, untucking it from the tight jeans. Then he slid his hands up under the shirt and let them roam freely over Malcolm's warm skin. He pushed the shirt up a little farther and brushed his thumbs against Malcolm's nipples. Malcolm sighed in pleasure and leaned into the contact. 

Trip took his time in teasing his lover before finally dragging the shirt over Malcolm's head. Malcolm reached up to smooth his mussed hair back into place, but Trip grabbed his hands. 

"Leave it." He said. "You look sexy that way." 

"My turn now." Malcolm said, reaching for Trip's fly with an eager gleam in his eyes. 

They quickly divested each other of their remaining attire, their earlier playfulness overwhelmed by their growing passion. As the last of the clothing fell to the floor, Malcolm surged forward to kiss Trip aggressively, pressing their naked aroused bodies firmly together. 

"Let's move this to the bed, Darlin'." Trip suggested as the kiss broke off. Malcolm bit gently at Trip's lower lip. 

"Are you sure those are safe?" He asked, casting a dubious look at the glowing sheets. "They look rather...odd." 

"Don't worry. I scanned them and everything. They're completely safe and hypoallergenic. And that's not all. Here. Watch." Trip took Malcolm's hand in his own and ran their entwined fingers over the silky gray material. Pale fire sparked in the wake of their touch. Malcolm's eyes widened with delight. 

"Oh!" He said. "Oh, that's lovely. May I?" Trip grinned. 

"Go right ahead." He said. 

Malcolm climbed onto the bed and slid sensuously against the shimmering silk sheets. Trip watched avidly. Malcolm could be surprisingly hedonistic at times and Trip was always thrilled when this seldom-seen side of his lover manifested itself. 

"Oh, these are simply marvelous." Malcolm said, stretching out full length on the bed. Silvery light blazed into life around him, accentuating his wiry muscles and making his gray eyes glow with a fire of their own. "They're so smooth they almost feel like water." 

"Uh huh. Yeah. Yeah they do." Trip said vaguely. He was unable to tear his eyes off of Malcolm's naked body. The man looked impossibly gorgeous at the moment. 

"Well, Mr. Tucker?" Malcolm asked with a slow sensuous smile. "Are you just going to stand there or are you going to join me?" He held out his arms in invitation. Trip grinned and climbed onto the bed. Malcolm immediately pulled him down for an ardent kiss. 

Trip let his hands glide over Malcolm's body, entranced by the feel of soft skin over hard flat muscle. Every now and then his fingers encountered an irregular ridge of scar tissue but Trip didn't care about the blemishes. He adored every inch of this man, scars and all. 

Pale fire flowed around them. Trip gasped and struggled to maintain his control as Malcolm raked his fingernails lightly down his back. He was already too close to the edge. He closed his eyes. It didn't help much. He was still acutely aware of Malcolm. The scent of him was intoxicating, the feel of him enthralling. 

"I want you." Malcolm said breathlessly. Trip groaned and dropped his head down onto Malcolm's shoulder. He reined himself in with difficulty. 

"Sure thing, Darlin'." He said. "But let's have dessert first." 

"I thought this was dessert." Malcolm said, rocking his body up against Trip's. Trip moaned in pleasure. 

"N-Not quite." He panted. With a huge effort of will, he rolled off of Malcolm and stood up. Malcolm whimpered a little at the loss of contact. 

"Where are you going?" He protested. 

"Hush. I'm not going anywhere. Roll over onto your stomach." Malcolm gave him a quick questioning look but obeyed the gentle order. 

Trip took a brief moment to simply admire Malcolm's magnificent backside before reaching out and stroking his hand down his lover's body from shoulder to hip. Malcolm sighed happily and wiggled a little against the sheets. 

Shivering with excitement, Trip uncapped the thermos. The heavenly scent of chocolate filled the room. 

"Mmm. Smells good." Malcolm said. He started to sit up, but Trip stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. 

"Yeah, and it'll taste even better when we lick it off each other." Trip promised. 

"Sounds delightful." Malcolm smiled as he relaxed back down onto the glowing sheets. 

"Oh, it will be." Trip said. He hesitated for a second. He hadn't thought to bring some kind of implement to apply the chocolate. Oh, well. He would just have to improvise. He tipped the thermos, intending to drizzle the melted chocolate over Malcolm's beautiful buttocks, but quickly jerked it back up as the chocolate came flowing out in a rush. He hadn't been expecting it to come out quite so fast. 

"Ow!" Malcolm jackknifed up off the bed as the large blob of chocolate landed on his ass. "Ow, ow, ow! What are you doing? That hurts!" 

He bolted to his feet, bumping into Trip in the process, causing him to drop the thermos. Molten chocolate oozed across the glowing spider silk sheets like an oil slick. Trip could feel the heat rising off of it. 

"Oh, God, Malcolm, I'm sorry!" 

"What did you do to me?" Malcolm moaned as he frantically tried to brush the hot sticky chocolate off his skin. "Sodding hell! What is this stuff? Napalm?" 

"It's just chocolate." Trip said anxiously. "I had no idea it was still so hot, or I never would have... I thought it would have cooled off by now. I...I... Come on." He grabbed Malcolm's arm and dragged him into the bathroom. He pushed his lover into the shower stall and turned the cold water on full blast. 

Malcolm's wordless yelp of protest reverberated through the small room. He tried to push his way out of the shower, but Trip blocked his way. 

"It's for your own good, Darlin'." he said. "You're supposed to run cold water over burns--that's what it says in the first aid manual." Malcolm gave him a thunderous scowl and then turned to shut off the water. 

"To hell with the first aid manual." He growled. 

Despite his worry, Trip had to suppress a smile. Malcolm really looked kind of cute all naked and wet and riled up like that. 

"Give me a towel." Malcolm said flatly. 

"But..." Trip started to protest. Malcolm's scowl deepened. 

"Now." He said. Trip quickly handed him a towel. He watched as Malcolm began to dry off, and felt a stab of concern when he got a better look at the burn that ran across Malcolm's buttocks. 

"Maybe you'd better let me take a look at that." He said. 

"I don't think so." Malcolm said. "I'm not letting you anywhere near my arse again." 

"Malcolm, I'm serious. It looks pretty bad." 

"What do you mean?" 

"I mean we should go to sickbay. It looks like it's already starting to blister." 

"Oh, you've got to be joking." Malcolm said. He twisted and craned his neck around, trying to assess the damage for himself. 

"Here." Trip said, handing him a small shaving mirror. "See for yourself." Malcolm angled the mirror so that he could get a proper look at his scalded backside. 

"Oh, hell." He muttered as he inspected the blistered skin. "No wonder it hurts." He glanced at Trip. "I'm going to kill you. You know that don't you?" 

"You might want to hold off on that." Trip said. "I think we should get Phlox to take a look at that burn first." 

"No. Absolutely not." 

"Malcolm..." 

"No." 

"I'll make it an order if I have to." 

"You wouldn't." Malcolm said, his eyes widening in horror. 

"Only if you force me to." 

"Trip. No." Malcolm said entreatingly. "You know he's going to ask how it happened and it's embarrassing enough already." 

"I know," Trip said unhappily "but burns like that can get infected if they're not properly cared for, and I'm kinda fond of that pretty ass o' yours." 

"Oh, so now you're concerned about the well-being of my arse!" Malcolm said acerbically. 

"I said I was sorry." Trip protested. 

"Oh, you're sorry all right." 

"Malcolm, please." 

"You'd think a bloody warp specialist would have a better grasp of thermodynamic principles." Malcolm griped as he gingerly probed the blisters with his fingers. 

"I didn't mean t' hurt ya." Trip said, his accent thickening with distress. He blinked rapidly as tears of remorse suddenly rose into his eyes. "Really, I didn't. You have to believe that." Malcolm sighed and placed the shaving mirror on the rim of the sink. 

"I know you didn't." He said softly. "I know that you would never deliberately hurt me." Trip just sniffled a little. Malcolm sighed again. "Now pull yourself together and go find me something to wear. Preferably something loose-fitting." 

"Huh?" Trip said in confusion. 

"Well, I can hardly go strolling down the corridors like this, now can I?" Malcolm asked, holding his arms out to display his naked body. 

"You're gonna go to sickbay?" Trip asked hopefully. 

"Yes." Malcolm said resignedly. "I'll go."

____________________________________

"Hmm." Phlox said as he peered closely at the burn. "How did you say this happened again?"

Malcolm, who was standing bent over the biobed said nothing, only sent Trip an icy glare. Trip was suddenly very glad that he was standing out of Malcolm's reach. He fidgeted slightly and cleared his throat. 

"Uh, it was an accident, Doc." 

"An accident you say?" 

"Yeah." 

"Can you be more specific?" Phlox asked. 

Trip felt a blush creep across his face and dropped his gaze to the floor in order to avoid Malcolm's now murderous scowl. He was beginning to wonder if he would ever be forgiven for this incident. Phlox, with his persistent and potentially embarrassing questions, certainly wasn't helping his chances. 

"Uh. No, I don't think I can." Trip said evasively. 

"Ah!" Phlox said with disconcerting glee. "I see. Really, gentlemen, you should exercise a little more caution in your love play." There was a long and embarrassed silence from both humans. Phlox, who was rummaging around in an aquarium with a pair of tongs didn't seem to notice. 

"Uh, yeah." Trip finally said. "Sure. We'll do that." Malcolm just made a small, strangled sound in the back of his throat and dropped his head into his hands. 

"Now then." Phlox said enthusiastically. "This Madalorite marbled leech will have that burn cleared up in no time." 

Trip was impressed with the speed and agility of Malcolm's reaction to this announcement. Despite the fact that his pants were down around his ankles, Malcolm managed to execute a nearly flawless vault over the biobed so that it lay between himself and the alien physician. 

"No." He said firmly from behind the defensive barrier of the bed. "Absolutely no leeches, eels, bloodworms, jellyfish, maggots or algae colonies." He fumbled a little as he hastily pulled up his sweatpants to cover the burn. "In fact, I categorically refuse any treatment that involves the direct application of any type of living creature to my body." 

"Come now, Lieutenant." Phlox said. He held up the large leech with the tongs and waved it enticingly in the air. The slimy purple and orange creature squirmed in mute protest as Phlox extolled its virtues. "The saliva of the Greater Madalorite marbled leech acts not only as a painkiller, but as a natural antibiotic as well. In my experience, nothing works more effectively on partial thickness second-degree burns. In fact..." 

"No." Malcolm said decisively. "Never in a million years. Not if my very life depended on it." 

"But..." 

"No." Malcolm's tone was hard and unyielding. Phlox sighed in disappointment and dropped the leech back into the tank. 

"Oh, very well." He said dejectedly. "I think I have some aloe-based burn cream in this cabinet somewhere." 

"That will do fine, thank you." 

"It won't work as quickly as the leech therapy." Phlox said sullenly as he held out a small jar. 

"I can live with that." Malcolm said, reaching out to take the medication. 

"Apply the cream to the affected area three times a day. If you should experience any unusual swelling or discharge please return to sickbay at once." Phlox brightened a little. "If that happens we'll have to reassess our treatment options." Malcolm paled. 

"Yes. Of course." He said faintly. 

"Oh, and try to avoid any activities, sexual or otherwise, that might put any undue pressure on the blisters." 

"I don't think that will be a problem." Malcolm said, shooting another glacial look at Trip. "May I go now?" 

"Very well." Phlox waved his hand in dismissal. "Just remember what I said." 

Caught off guard by the speed of Malcolm's departure, Trip had to jog to catch up with him. 

"Hey, Malcolm," he called "wait up." Malcolm's pace slowed only fractionally and Trip had to put on a final burst of speed to draw level with him. 

"Um...are you okay?" He asked tentatively. 

"Oh, just fine--if you don't count the crushing humiliation." Malcolm replied sarcastically. 

"Malcolm, I'm sorry. Really I am." 

"And it's only going to get worse. Thanks to you, I'm not going to be able to sit down for a week. Who knows what kind of insane rumors that will spawn on this ship?" Trip could think of several, none of which he was going to share with Malcolm at the moment. 

"I...we'll come up with some kind of project that will keep you off the bridge for a while." Trip said desperately. "We can start on those cannon upgrades you've been bugging me about. How's that?" Malcolm seemed to perk up a little at the thought of increasing the firepower of his beloved phase cannons. 

"And we can always just eat together in my quarters." Trip added. "An'...an' I suppose we could skip the movie this week." 

"Really?" Malcolm asked, his face lighting up like that of a small child who had been offered a piece of candy. 

"Really." Trip sighed. Damn. He had been looking forward to seeing that new romantic drama, but he knew that Malcolm hated romantic movies. They rarely had explosions in them and he was always embarrassed by the way Trip 'got something in his eye' every time there was a poignant scene. Trip was sure that letting Malcolm off the hook for this one would go a long way toward getting himself back into Malcolm's good graces. 

"Perhaps we could use the time to have a quiet evening together instead." Malcolm said happily. Trip felt a small surge of hope as he punched in his door code. That sounded promising. Maybe Malcolm was starting to forgive him. Maybe things weren't as bad as they seemed. 

"You want any help putting that on?" Trip asked, waving his hand at the small jar of burn cream that Malcolm held. 

"No, thank you." Malcolm said coolly. "I'll do it myself. My arse is off limits to you for the foreseeable future." Trip frowned. That didn't sound promising at all. 

"But Malcolm..." 

"Learn to deal with it, Mr. Tucker." 

"Is everything off limits or just your ass?" Trip asked without thinking. 

"Are you trying to be funny?" Malcolm said, his eyes narrowing dangerously. Inwardly, Trip groaned. He knew he had just made a huge mistake. 

"No!" He protested. "I just meant... I mean you aren't...um, cutting me off completely? Are you? Er, we'll still...uh, won't we?" 

"Not tonight, we won't." Malcolm said frostily before disappearing into the bathroom. 

Trip sighed in dismay. Yup. Big mistake. The forecast for the near future was decidedly chilly. He brought the lights up fully and looked around the room. Damn. What a mess. 

He retrieved the nearly empty thermos and placed it on the desk with the rest of the dirty dishes before stripping the chocolate impregnated silk sheets off the mattress. He dumped them in a pile on the floor and then pulled a set of plain cotton sheets out of his footlocker. 

After he had remade the bed with the clean sheets, he turned his attention to the desk. He stacked the dirty dishes neatly. He would take them back to the mess in the morning. He wasn't quite sure what to do with the thermos--there were still a few dregs of solidifying chocolate inside of it--so he just recapped it and set it aside. He'd deal with it later. 

He picked the rose up off the tablecloth. They had forgotten to put it in water and it was already starting to wilt. Trip ran his fingers gently over the dark velvety petals before carefully placing the flower into the water at the bottom of the ice bucket. He felt very tired all of a sudden. 

He picked up the silk sheets and carried them into the bathroom. Malcolm, who was in the process of brushing his teeth, gave him a questioning look. 

"I think these sheets are ruined." Trip said dejectedly. "I doubt these chocolate stains are ever gonna come out." Malcolm spat a mouthful of toothpaste out into the sink. 

"Oh, that's a great bloody shame." He said sadly. "I really liked them. They were extremely erotic." 

"Yeah." Trip said with a sigh. "Not to mention that they cost me a week's salary in trade goods." Malcolm rinsed his mouth out with water and placed his toothbrush back into the holder. 

"Maybe the quartermaster's people will know of some way to get the stains out." He said hopefully. 

"Yeah. Maybe." Trip gave the sheets another sad glance and then stuffed them into the hamper. "You done in here?" 

"Yes." 

"Then I think I'm gonna get ready to turn in too." 

"Sounds good." Malcolm said. "I don't know about you, but I've had just about as much excitement as I can take for one day." 

"Yeah." Trip said. 

By the time he came out of the bathroom, Malcolm was already in bed. Trip turned out the lights and then joined his injured lover on the narrow bunk, positioning himself as far away as possible from the other man. He bit down on another sigh and tried to ignore the sudden prickle of tears in his eyes. 

The special evening that he had spent so much time and effort on had turned into a royal mess. The expensive chocolate had gone to waste, the beautiful silk sheets were ruined, and worst of all, his stupidity and carelessness had gotten Malcolm hurt. Trip's breath hitched raggedly in his throat. He couldn't blame Malcolm for being so mad at him. 

"Are you all right?" Malcolm asked, stroking his hand gently over Trip's shoulder. 

"I-I'm sorry, Malcolm. I'm sorry I hurt you." 

"Trip, it was an accident. I know you didn't mean for it to happen. I'm sorry I've been so harsh with you." 

"I just really wanted tonight to be special." Trip said miserably. "I'm sorry I messed it all up." Malcolm shifted until he was spooned up against Trip's back. 

"The night wasn't a total loss." He said softly. "Dinner was lovely. And the rose was a nice touch. No one's ever given me a rose before." 

"Crewman Andaman in hydroponics owed me a favor." Trip said dully. Malcolm pressed a little closer and draped his arm around Trip, rubbing his hand in small soothing circles over his partner's stomach. 

"At the very least this will be a night we'll never forget. I suppose someday, when we're old and gray, it will make a very funny story." 

"Yeah." Trip said without enthusiasm. "I guess." 

"Trip, I really appreciate that you wanted to do something special for me, even if it didn't turn out quite right." Malcolm placed a gentle kiss on the back of Trip's neck. "How did you get hold of that much chocolate anyway? From what I understand it's a hard commodity to come by." 

"I traded with Hess for it." Trip said. Malcolm tensed slightly against his back. 

"Are you insane? That woman knows how to drive a devil's bargain. " 

"Well, she was the one who had the goods." 

"You didn't sign away the rights to our future children did you?" Malcolm asked worriedly. 

"Not exactly. I got off a little easier than that. Our hypothetical kids are safe, but I'm gonna have to pull an awful lot of double shifts in the next few months." Trip gave a sad sigh. "We didn't even get to taste it." 

"There wasn't any left in the thermos? 

"A little." 

"Well, then, perhaps we can salvage some of it." 

"Maybe. But it won't be the same. After all, I don't dare sneak back into the galley anytime soon." There was a stunned silence. 

"You...you snuck into the galley?" Malcolm asked in a shocked whisper. 

"Yeah. I had to melt the chocolate properly. If you do it in a microwave it gets ruined." 

"Wait a minute. Wait a minute." Malcolm sat up carefully and looked at Trip in the faint starlight. "Let me get this straight. You bargained with Hess and risked Chef's considerable wrath just to prepare a surprise for me?" 

"Uh, yeah." Trip said warily. 

"Do you have any idea what Chef would have done to you if he had caught you in the galley?" 

"Um, well..." Trip shifted uneasily. Surely those rumors about Chef and what he did to those who violated his domain were highly exaggerated. 

"Oh, Trip." Malcolm said, his voice thick with emotion. "I had no idea...I never realized that you loved me so much." He leaned forward and gave Trip a sweet lingering kiss. 

"I'd do anything for you, Darlin'. I love you more than I can say." 

"I love you too, Trip." Malcolm said as he snuggled close to the other man. "I may even let you near my arse again." 

"Really?" Trip said eagerly. 

"Well, not right now. Perhaps after the blisters heal. Just promise me something." 

"Anything. Just name it." 

"I want you to promise that you'll never take such terrible risks again. You're lucky that Hess didn't walk away with everything you own and then some. And you were extremely fortunate that Chef didn't catch you in the galley." Malcolm reached down and gently cupped Trip's genitals in his hand. "After all, I really prefer your balls right where they are." 

~the end~


End file.
